Departmental Stationery

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The costs requested for the Department, excluding its agencies and executive NDPBs, in each of the last five years, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Internal  External 
			 2004-05 0 841 
			 2005-06 318 26,149 
			 2006-07 0 22,046 
			 2007-08 665 23,868 
			 2008-09 698 8,548 
		
	
	Community Safety Unit (CSU) account for around 50 per cent. of the costs. CSU purchased items to support campaigns that had been running from 2005-06, such as the domestic burglary campaign. CSU's 2008-09 costs relate more to Community Safety Week and ongoing community safety events rather than major campaigns, hence the fall in spend.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central of 24 April 2009,  Official Report, column 978W, on departmental ICT, what recent discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on steps to reduce carbon emissions from ICT systems in his Department.

Ann McKechin: My officials are in regular communication with their counterparts in the Scottish Government about the information and communications technology system (SCOTS) which the Scotland Office shares with the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government are complying with the same standards as those set out in the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Email and Intranet

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission who the internet service provider is for the parliamentary IT system; and whether the  (a) provider and  (b) system will be subject to the provisions of the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009.

Nick Harvey: The internet service provider for Parliament is Colt. The provisions of the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 apply to all public communications providers to whom a written notice has been given by the Secretary of State. I understand that Colt have not received such a notice.

Army: Recruitment

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department budgeted for overseas travel expenses for army recruitment teams in each of the last 10 years.

Bob Ainsworth: Army recruiting teams (formerly known as regimental recruiting teams) operate in the United Kingdom and do not incur any costs for overseas travel.
	However, the Army's overseas pre-selection teams, which travel to countries that have a high number of people who have applied to join the Army, have incurred the following costs for flights, transport and accommodation charges for staff:
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost (£) 
			 2005-06 42,507 
			 2006-07 78,639 
			 2007-08 197,589 
			 2008-09 140,566 
		
	
	Costs prior to 2005-06 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) men and  (b) women left the armed forces within six months of returning from service in (i) Iraq and (i) Afghanistan in 2007-08.

Bob Ainsworth: An estimate of the number of male and female UK armed forces personnel identified as having left Iraq or Afghanistan during 2007-08 and who were no longer in the armed forces six months later is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Deployed c ountry  Male  Female  Total 
			 Afghanistan 530 10 540 
			 Iraq 510 20 540 
			 Total 1,040 40 1,080 
			  Notes: 1. UK armed forces personnel includes all UK regular forces and Gurkhas but excludes all reservist personnel. 2. Data excludes repeat tours. Where individuals have deployed to both theatres in 2007-08 they are shown against the latest country of deployment. 3. Data includes all personnel who left Iraq or Afghanistan in FY 2007-08 without returning thereafter and were no longer in the armed forces six months after having left Iraq or Afghanistan. 4. Data includes all outflow reasons from the armed forces, including operational and non-operational fatalities. 5. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sum of their rounded parts. 6. All data are provisional and subject to review.

Departmental Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) guidelines and  (b) safeguards his Department has in place for the commercial licensing of its departmental databases.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 30 April 2009
	The Department for Transport has published an Information Charter
	www.dft.gov.uk/about/informationcharter
	which sets out its commitment to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 in the use and disclosure of personal data. Similarly, each of our agencies has published its own Information Charter which can be viewed on their websites.
	Furthermore, the Department has issued guidelines on the reuse of its information for commercial purposes. These make clear that, among other requirements: resources must not be diverted from core functions (including any resources involved in anonymisation/preparation of the information, or in setting up and running the scheme); a third party must not own the intellectual property rights; only anonymised data should be used for bulk sharing with private sector bodies; and that the production of the information is not outside core functions of DFT.
	Two of the Department's executive agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Driving Standards Agency (DSA), have a derogation from the Office of Public Sector Information to license the re-use of their information and are accredited under the Information Fair Trader Scheme. The information they sell is anonymised and the licences and corresponding contracts restrict how the data can be used.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road closures due to road traffic accidents there were in each local authority area in the South West in each of the last five years; and for how long the road or roads affected were closed in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information held by the Highways Agency relating to road closures due to road traffic accidents, is not in the form requested. The Highways Agency and the Department for Transport do not keep data relating to road closures due to road traffic accidents on local roads, and therefore this information will need to be obtained from the local highway authorities.
	The first table provides information about closures by police force area, for the motorway network in the South West over a five year period. The second table lists information by route for the All Purpose Trunk Road network in the South West, also over a five year period.
	From the data held, the duration of closures ranged from five minutes to 23 hours 58 minutes.
	The information available is for road traffic accidents where the police have requested Highways Agency involvement. No data is held for those occurrences where the police have dealt with an accident alone. Also, the data available for All Purpose Trunk Roads west of Exeter is from autumn 2006 onwards, and from July 2005 for other Highways Agency roads in the south west network.
	
		
			  Mo torways by  police force  area from July 2005 o nwards 
			   Number of road closures on motorways per year 
			  Police Force Area  July 2005 onwards  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 12 16 40 32 10 
			 Wiltshire 0 4 8 10 2 
			 Gloucester 5 5 16 9 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 2 4 4 1 
		
	
	
		
			  All  purpose trunk roads 
			   Number of road closures per year 
			  Trunk Road Number  July to December 2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 A30/A35 DBFO 0 10 11 11 5 
			 A30 Non DBFO (1)— 10 24 26 11 
			 A38 (1)— 2 21 25 16 
			 A417/A419 DBFO 1 2 4 2 1 
			 A36 4 11 19 4 6 
			 A303 5 16 18 13 4 
			 A30 east of Honiton 1 0 0 1 0 
			 A4 3 0 1 0 0 
			 A40 5 4 2 3 2 
			 A46 4 2 8 3 1 
			 (1) Not known

Roads: Safety

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of levels of road safety in the Torbay local authority area based on  (a) reports from the Government Office South West and  (b) the mid-term progress review of the local transport plan; and what assistance his Department is providing to Torbay local authority to reduce road casualties in the area.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 196W, regarding the progress review of Torbay council's local transport plan conducted with the Government office for the south-west. The progress review covers road safety.
	The Department for Transport is providing the following financial support to Torbay council to help them improve their local transport infrastructure and public transport services. This funding will help the authority develop road safety schemes and thereby reduce road casualties.
	
		
			  Financial year 2008-09—DFT funding to Torbay council 
			  Funding stream  Purpose  £000 
			 Integrated Transport (IT) Block Capital grant to support small transport projects. 1,707 
			 Road safety—capital Capital support for road safety 28 
			 Road safety—revenue Revenue support for road safety. 127 
			 Total  1,862 
		
	
	This funding is not ring-fenced and Torbay council has discretion to spend allocations in line with their priorities. Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant.
	The Department also contributes to the sharing of information and good practice via a group of local authority officers in the south-west region. Nationally it is sponsoring a number of demonstration and partnership projects with other local authorities to assist local authorities as a whole in their continued work to reduce road casualties.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Leader of the House how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) officials accompanied her to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009.

Chris Bryant: One official accompanied my right hon. Friend to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Leader of the House what car journeys she took in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Chris Bryant: A Government car was used by my right hon. Friend to travel to and from the airport in both London and Glasgow.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Leader of the House what expenditure on  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation and  (c) food (i) she and (ii) officials in her Office incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Chris Bryant: The total cost of travel incurred by my right hon. Friend and one official in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 was £1,115.97. My right hon. Friend and the accompanying official incurred no expenditure on accommodation and food.

Burma: USA

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the US administration on its review of US policy on Burma.

Bill Rammell: I discussed Burma with US Administration officials and members of Congress when I visited Washington from 3-5 May 2009. We remain in close contact with our US colleagues about the situation in Burma at all levels. We are working with them to ensure that collective international pressure is brought onto the regime to engage with the UN Good Offices mission and to instigate genuine political reforms. We continue to share concerns for the prospects of inclusive elections in 2010 and the grave humanitarian situation. The US Administration has not as yet concluded the work that is under way.

Council of Europe

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull East in his capacity as leader of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, before directing the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe on the position to be taken in the meeting of Ministers' Deputies on the transmission to the Parliamentary Assembly of the list of candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 May 2009
	A planned consultation on this issue between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers took place in Strasbourg on 29 April 2009. My right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott) and the UK Permanent Representative participated actively.

European External Action Service

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to second any staff of his Department to the proposed European external action service.

Caroline Flint: Were the Lisbon Treaty to enter into force, and EU member states to take a decision to establish the European External Action Service, then we would plan to second Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff to it.

European External Action Service

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the proposed European external action service.

Caroline Flint: I have had no recent discussions with my EU counterparts about the proposed European External Action Service (EEAS). This service could only be established were the Lisbon treaty to come into force and after a unanimous decision by EU member states to do so.

India: Religious Freedom

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage the Indian government to implement the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in her report of her 2008 mission to India.

Bill Rammell: The UK continues to work through the EU on a number of human rights issues as part of a continuing EU-India Human Rights Dialogue. The recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief were identified by EU colleagues as a subject for discussion at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue meeting in February 2009. It was agreed by both sides that there would be continued exchanges about discrimination, including on religious grounds. The recommendations will be a useful point of reference for future engagement with India on human rights issues.

Michael Khodorkovsky

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) his Russian counterpart and  (b) HM Ambassador in Moscow on the imprisonment of Michael Khodorkovsky.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not specifically raised Mikhail Khodorkovsky's situation in his recent conversations with Foreign Minister Lavrov. However, we have made clear our concerns about the treatment of Mr. Khodorkovsky, and others who have been arrested or prosecuted in the Yukos affair, both bilaterally and through the EU. The issue was raised bilaterally at the UK-Russia human rights consultations in January 2009 in Moscow. Our concerns relate to due process and fair treatment in the Yukos cases, and they include the arbitrary application of the rule of law, access to lawyers and medical care, conditions of detention and the alleged harassment of defence teams and witnesses.
	Our embassy in Moscow is watching current developments in Mr. Khodorkovsky's case closely, and is participating in trial monitoring with EU partners and the US. We will continue to follow the progress of Mr. Khodorkovsky's case.

Papua: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indonesian authorities on allegations of human rights abuses in West Papua.

Bill Rammell: I raised UK concerns with the situation in Papua and West Papua provinces in discussions with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, on 10 February 2009. I stressed that greater transparency was an important element to building trust and ensuring greater peace and prosperity for the region. Embassy officials continue to monitor the situation closely and to discuss the human rights situation with Indonesian government officials—most recently on 6 May 2009—as well as civil society and community representatives from the Papuan provinces.

Papua: International Red Cross

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Indonesia on its recent decision to expel the International Committee of the Red Cross from West Papua.

Bill Rammell: We have sought clarification of the reports regarding the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and their presence in West Papua from the government of Indonesia. Our embassy have been told that the ICRC field office in Papua has been closed and that the status agreements governing the ICRC's activities in Indonesia need to be renegotiated. We hope that this can be concluded speedily. The government of Indonesia told us that ICRC officials may still visit Papua. Our embassy are also in touch with ICRC officials in Indonesia and will continue to monitor the situation closely. We are meeting with the Indonesian ambassador in London to register our concerns. I discussed access to Papua and West Papua provinces with Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, most recently on 10 February 2009 in Jakarta.

Russia: Nuclear Power Stations

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of proposals by the Russian government to build and operate nuclear power stations in Arctic waters.

Caroline Flint: We have received no formal approach by the Russian government about proposals to build and operate nuclear power stations in Arctic Waters.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Sri Lanka on allegations of human rights abuses in the conflict in that country.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Sri Lanka on 29 April 2009. Most recently he spoke to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogllogama on 10 May 2009 to express our concerns about the situation in Sri Lanka.
	The Foreign Secretary has consistently pressed the Sri Lankan Government to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law and to take all possible steps to safeguard civilian lives, including allowing UN and international aid agencies to deliver food, water and medicine into the conflict zone and to allow civilians allowed to move to safety. It is vital that the conditions for those civilians in the IDP camps meet international standards.
	We have made clear to the Sri Lankan Government the need to guarantee press freedoms. Given the restrictions placed on the media and non-governmental organisations, it has been difficult to verify reports and accusations by both sides of the conflict. The Foreign Secretary has also expressed the need for transparency.

Tibet: Human Rights

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of China on human rights in Tibet.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 7 May 2009
	We continue to have concerns about the human rights of Tibetans both in Tibet and the surrounding regions. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised our concerns on the situation in Tibet with both Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, urging the Chinese authorities to resume their discussions with the Dalai Lama's envoys without delay.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised Tibet with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the UK-China Summit in February 2009.
	I made the same points to the Chinese ambassador when we met on 25 March 2009. The UK also raised concerns about human rights of Tibetans during China's appearance before the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva on 9 February 2009.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions from ICT systems operated by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department currently uses IT systems provided by the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs under IT services contracts with Fujitsu and IBM respectively. No separate estimate has been made for the levels of carbon dioxide specific to my Department. However, my Department is engaging with the Carbon Trust to understand the emissions that will be generated by the single IT system my department plans on adopting from the summer of this year.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wealden of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 708W, on the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, what estimate he has made of the amount of funding requested through those eligible grant applications for solar photovoltaic technology under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 which have been put on hold.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 27 April 2009
	The Low Carbon Buildings Programme has seen significant levels of applications for solar PV technology. Since December 2008, £9 million has been reallocated within the programme to support solar PV bringing the total grant commitment to £26.5 million.
	Following the Budget announcement, we have allocated immediately an additional £5 million for solar PV Phase 2 to be able to deal with the majority of projects which were put on hold.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much members of his Departmental board claimed in expenses in each financial year between 2004-05 and 2007-08.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is committed to being open about its use of expenses. Recent answers to parliamentary questions and freedom of information requests have not only covered the expenses directly claimed but also expenses covered by centrally managed contracts, for example train and hotel bookings. These answers have included expenses data at an aggregate level or for a handful of individuals based on recent data. To ensure consistency we would need to approach several suppliers, some who no longer hold the contracts to provide the data and have no obligation to provide the information.
	There is no statutory requirement to collect and report on this data in the format requested and to provide an answer to this question would require manual interrogation of a finance system, which was replaced in July 2008 by a new departmental accounting system. Since 2004-05, there have been 33 members of the board. Therefore, the Department cannot provide an answer as to do so would be at disproportionate cost.

Lincolnshire Teaching Primary Care Trust

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust has made discretionary dispensations in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: This information requested is not held centrally. The Department do not break down primary care trust (PCT) allocations by policies, at either national or local level. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment taking into account both local priorities and the national health service operating framework. This information can be obtained by contacting Lincolnshire Teaching PCT directly.

Nutrition: Children

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for the development of policy on nutrition for children between the ages of one and three years; and what guidance on nutrition for such children the Government provide.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department is responsible for the development of policy on nutrition for children between the ages of one and three years. This is evidence based, drawing on the recommendations from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA). Also, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is currently reviewing evidence on the influence of maternal, fetal and child nutrition status, including growth and development in utero and early childhood, on the development of disease later in life. In taking this work forward, the Committee is considering the evidence around maternal, fetal and early life factors, including infant diet and growth. SACN aims to publish their final report later this year.
	As part of its on going work, the Committee's Sub-group on Maternal and Child Nutrition is also planning to update the COMA report Weaning and The Weaning Diet.

Publications

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies spent on the preparation of articles for submission to healthcare publications and journals in the last six months.

Ben Bradshaw: To identify expenditure on the preparation of all articles for submission to health care publications and journals in the last six months would incur disproportionate costs.
	There have been 19 advertorials (paid-for articles) in health care publications and journals funded in whole or in part by the Department's Communications Directorate in the last six months.
	This corrects the answer given to the hon. Member on 29 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1314W, which stated that 19 advertorials had been funded in whole or in part by the Department's Communications Directorate over a two-year period.
	£19,500 was spent on preparation of these 19 advertorials. Additional associated expenditure was included within agency fees spanning publicity activity for the related publicity campaigns, and to extract this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Stationery

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: My Department spent £83 on Wales Office pens in 2006 to promote the Government of Wales Act.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many work placements his Department offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: There have been two work placements both undertaken by pupils before they entered university. One in 2008 and one in 2005.

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has health and safety compliance audits conducted annually by the Ministry of Justice and separately by the trade unions at no cost to my Department. The cost of health and safety works are not recorded separately and can be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of her Department's  (a) executive agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies have regional offices; and where each such office is located.

Sadiq Khan: Several of the Department's executive public bodies have regional office structures.
	The Audit Commission, classified as a public corporation, has regional offices in Leicester, Solihull, Cambourne and London for central region; Bolton, Gateshead and Leeds for northern region; and Bristol and Exeter for southern region.
	The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was established on 1 December 2008, and currently has regional offices in the following locations: Ashford, Birmingham, Bracknell, Bristol, Cambridge, Croydon, Exeter, Gateshead, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Telford, Warrington and Wolverhampton. Its offices in Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham are co-located with Government offices for the regions. The HCA is undertaking a review of the office accommodation it inherited from its predecessor bodies.
	The Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) currently has 11 regional offices in the following locations: Werrington, Peterborough; Whitechapel, London; Witham, Essex; Bolton; Doncaster; Preston; Leamington Spa; Nottingham; Stafford; Horsham, Surrey; and Plymouth. Under the VTS's current estates' review, the offices at Leamington Spa, Nottingham and Horsham are due to close by the end of June 2009.
	None of the Department's executive agencies have regional office structures.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) on 10 October 2007,  Official Report, column 662W, and the answer given to the hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 717W.
	The Department has spent £240,931 on hospitality in the last financial year 2008-09. The Department do not record expenditure for entertainment on its finance system and the figures in this reply relate to the broader category of hospitality. All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons information on the expenditure of executive agencies is not included in her Department's proposals for local spending reports under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

Sadiq Khan: Taking responses to the first phase of consultation on this subject into consideration, the first arrangements for the production of the first local spending report were made using information which is currently available to the Government and which do not impose significant costs on other bodies. We are still consulting on how the reports should develop over time through the second phase of the consultation which closes on 15 May 2009. We will publish a response to the second phase later in the summer when we will outline our plans for the longer term development of the local spending reports including the scope for extending the reports to include other agencies. This will enable the Government to develop local spending reports which are useful and whose cost is likely to justify their benefit.

Empty Property

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistics  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies collect on the level of vacant (i) commercial and (ii) industrial property.

Iain Wright: Data collection on vacant properties was reinstated recently on the national non-domestic rates (NNDRl) Supplementary form. Data from this are being validated and are intended to be published shortly.
	None of the four Department's agencies collect data in this respect.

Housing Associations: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, column 972W, on housing associations: finance, which six associations are graded at three.

Iain Wright: The six associations graded as 'of concern' can be found in on the TSA's website at:
	http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/nav.13843
	The assessment of the financial position of an association is an ongoing process. Consequently, the six associations graded as 'of concern' have been working with the TSA to resolve their issues.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 20 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1409-10W, on the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), if she will make it her policy to ensure that the IPC's  (a) staff,  (b) chief executive officer,  (c) commissioners and  (d) board members are appointed on terms which provide for a notice period of no more than three months.

Margaret Beckett: The notice to be given by the CEO, commissioners and board members will be agreed in the normal way when the terms of their specific contracts are agreed following a successful interview process. The notice period applying to other staff will be determined by IPC in the light of its business needs.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions initiated by  (a) building societies and  (b) banks there were in (i) the London borough of Bexley and (ii) Greater London in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on this is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2108
	The CML data on repossessions are no longer freely available from their website. For detailed time series information members of the public can request to subscribe to CML to obtain access to a restricted website.
	The Financial Services Authority data is available on their website at
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/
	The CML and FSA release slightly different figures. The CML data is for repossessions on first-charge mortgages only, including Buy-to-Let mortgages, as issued by their members. CML estimate that their lenders currently account for 95 per cent. of mortgage lending. The FSA data, as well as covering possessions on first-charge mortgages, covers possessions on second-charge loans by regulated firms (many second charge lenders are not regulated) but doesn't cover possessions as comprehensively on Buy-to-Let mortgages, as some of these are from unregulated firms. The overall effect of the differences is that the FSA's statistics on possessions are slightly higher.

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of use of penalty notices for disorder amongst 10 to 15 year olds in the six pilot areas.

Jack Straw: The evaluation report on penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) for 10 to 15-year-olds in the six pilot areas was published on 5 November 2008. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. We are currently revising the Police Operational Guidance to take into account the recommendations of the evaluation in collaboration with interested groups.

Coroners

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many narrative reports he has received from HM coroners under Coroners Rule 43 since its revision in July 2008; which inquests gave rise to each such report; which coroner presided in each case; in which of those inquests the coroner sat without a jury; and to which Government department each report was referred.

Bridget Prentice: Between 17 July 2008 and 7 May 2009 230 Rule 43 reports have been received from HM Coroners. Table A shows details of the coroners, deputy coroners and assistant deputy coroners who submitted the reports. 49 of the reports were directed at Government Departments and details are shown in table B. Information is not held centrally on the specific inquests which gave rise to each report or which of these inquests sat without a jury. The Lord Chancellor will be publishing a summary of rule 43 reports received since 17 July 2008 shortly.
	
		
			  Table A—Number of Rule 43 reports issued by HM Coroners between 17 July 2008 and 7 May 2009 
			  HM Coroner  Number of Rule 43 reports issued 
			 Avon  
			 Paul Forrest, Coroner 3 
			 Terry Moore, Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Berkshire  
			 Peter Bedford, Coroner 2 
			 Birmingham and Solihull  
			 Aidan Cotter, Coroner 6 
			 Black Country  
			 Robin Balmain, Coroner 2 
			 Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley  
			 Michael Singleton, Coroner 3 
			 Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset  
			 Sheriff Payne, Coroner 2 
			 Brighton and Hove  
			 Veronica Hamilton-Deeley, Coroner 1 
			 John Hooper, Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Buckinghamshire  
			 Roger Hulett, Coroner 1 
			 Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan  
			 Mary Hassell, Coroner 16 
			 Carmarthenshire  
			 William Owen, Coroner 2 
			 Cheshire  
			 Nicholas Rheinberg, Coroner 5 
			 Janet Napier, Deputy Coroner 3 
			 Jean Harkin, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Geoff Roberts, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Cumbria: South and East  
			 Ian Smith, Coroner 2 
			 Derby and South Derbyshire  
			 Robert Hunter, Coroner 6 
			 Louise Pinder, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Devon: Greater and Exeter  
			 Elizabeth Earland, Coroner 5 
			 Darran Salter, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Devon: Plymouth and South West  
			 Ian Arrow, Coroner 1 
			 Andrew Cox, Deputy 2 
			 Devon: South and Torbay  
			 Ian Arrow, Coroner 1 
			 Durham and Darlington  
			 Andrew Tweddle, Coroner 2 
			 East Riding and Kingston Upon Hull  
			 Nicola Mundy, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Essex and Thurrock  
			 Caroline Beasley-Murray, Coroner 1 
			 Lorna Tagliavini, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Gloucestershire  
			 Alan Crickmore, Coroner Great Yarmouth 1 
			 Nicholas Holroyd, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Gwent  
			 David Bowen, Coroner 1 
			 Hampshire: North East  
			 Andrew Bradley, Coroner 1 
			 Hampshire: Portsmouth and South East  
			 David Horsley, Coroner 3 
			 Hertfordshire  
			 Edward Thomas, Coroner 5 
			 David Pidgeon, Deputy coroner 1 
			 Graham Danbury, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Kent: Central and South East  
			 Rachel Redman, Coroner 2 
			 Kent: North West  
			 Alan Blunsden, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Lincolnshire: North and Grimsby  
			 Paul Kelly, Coroner 1 
			 Lincolnshire: West  
			 Roger Atkinson, Coroner 3 
			 Liverpool  
			 Andre Rebello, Coroner 1 
			 London: City  
			 Paul Matthews, Coroner 3 
			 London: East  
			 Elizabeth Stearns, Coroner 1 
			 London: South  
			 Roy Palmer, Coroner 1 
			 Selena Lynch, Deputy 1 
			 London: Inner North  
			 Andrew Reid 2 
			 London: Inner South  
			 Gail Eliman, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Andrew Harris, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Selena Lynch, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Sir Michael Wright, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 London: Inner West  
			 Paul Knapman, Coroner 1 
			 Shirley Radcliffe, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 London: West  
			 Elizabeth Pygott, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Lorna Tagliavini, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Manchester: City  
			 Nigel Meadows, Coroner 12 
			 Manchester: Greater - South  
			 John Pollard, Coroner 14 
			 Joanne Kearsley, Deputy Coroner 6 
			 Manchester: Greater - West  
			 Jennifer Leeming, Coroner 2 
			 Manchester: Greater - North  
			 Simon Nelson, Coroner 1 
			 Milton Keynes  
			 Rodney Comer, Coroner 1 
			 Tom Osborne, Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Norfolk: Greater  
			 William Armstrong, Coroner 7 
			 Northamptonshire  
			 Tom Osborne, Assistant Deputy Coroner 3 
			 Pembrokeshire  
			 Michael Howells, Coroner 3 
			 Peterborough  
			 Gordon Ryall, Coroner 2 
			 Preston and West Lancashire  
			 James Adley, Coroner 1 
			 Sefton, St. Helens and Knowsley  
			 Christopher Sumner, Coroner 1 
			 Shropshire: Mid and North  
			 John Ellery, Coroner 3 
			 Somerset: East  
			 Tony Williams, Coroner 1 
			 Somerset: West  
			 Michael Rose, Coroner 2 
			 Staffordshire: South  
			 Andrew Haigh, Coroner 17 
			 Staffordshire: North and Stoke-on-Trent  
			 Ian Smith, Coroner 1 
			 Sunderland  
			 Derek Winter, Coroner 4 
			 Karin Walsh, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 West Sussex  
			 Penelope Scholfield, Coroner 4 
			 Wiltshire and Swindon  
			 David Masters, Coroner 4 
			 Peter Hatvany, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 David Ridley, Assistant Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Worcestershire  
			 Geraint Williams, Coroner 1 
			 Yorkshire: South - Western  
			 Christopher Domes 6 
			 Yorkshire: West - Eastern  
			 David Hichcliffe, Coroner 4 
			 Richard Manning, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Mary Burke, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Kevin McLaughlin, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Melanie Williamson, Assistant Deputy Coroner 3 
			 Yorkshire: West - Western  
			 Roger Whittaker, Coroner 3 
			 Paul Marks, Assistant Deputy 1 
			   
			 Total Rule 43 reports issued 230 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  B — Government Departments receiving Rule 43 reports between 17 July 2008 and 7 May 2009 
			  Government Department  Number of Rule 43 reports 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government 1 
			 Department of Health 8 
			 Department of Transport 12 
			 Department of Work and Pensions 2 
			 Driver and Licensing Agency 2 
			 Environment Agency 1 
			 Government Office for the South West 1 
			 Health and Safety Executive 1 
			 Highways Agency 6 
			 Home Office 3 
			 Ministry of Defence 6 
			 Ministry of Justice 4 
			 Welsh Assembly Government 2 
			   
			 Total number of Rule 43 reports referred to Government Departments: 49

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which services his Department and its predecessor have outsourced in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice does not hold centralised data on the services the Department and its predecessors have outsourced in each of the last five years. This is because prior to 1 April 2009, procurement was undertaken in numerous parts of the Ministry of Justice and its predecessors and the information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	A new Procurement Directorate for the whole of the Ministry of Justice was created on 1 April following an Office of Government Commerce Procurement Capability Review recommendation. Part of the remit of the new directorate is to bring together information on all Ministry of Justice contracts.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007. Central spend on IT training in each of the last two years in the MOJ, excluding the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 47,000 
			 2008-09 41,000 
		
	
	Responsibility for learning and development training is devolved to Business Groups within the MOJ. In the year 2006-07 the former Department for Constitutional Affairs spent £117,118 on centrally provided IT training. Comparative figures for the years 2005-06 and 2004-05 are not available. In NOMS, IT training spend has been devolved to local level and details are not held centrally. As such, the total spend on IT training across the MOJ could be established only at disproportionate cost.
	Most IT training is provided by experienced members of staff or local business training teams. Spend on IT training has declined in recent years with less recruitment and a move to provide more learning through coaching rather than training courses. Training programmes, which support the introduction of new processes in business areas, can also include an element of IT training.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many work placements his Department and its predecessor offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice does not hold all of this information centrally. Business groups including Prison Service establishments, HMCS, NOMS HQ, Corporate Performance Group and individual probation boards have accommodated placements mainly in conjunction with local universities, colleges and schools.
	Additionally, the MOJ has provided paid work for interns through the Ethnic Minority Summer Development Programme and the Disability Summer Placement Scheme as follows:
	
		
			   Ethnic Minority Summer Development Programme interns in MOJ  Disability Summer Placement Scheme interns in MOJ 
			 2004 8 3 
			 2005 10 3 
			 2006 4 1 
			 2007 3 2 
			 2008 6 0 
		
	
	Participants are a mixture of undergraduates and graduates.

Family Courts: Greater London

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have with magistrates in Waltham Forest and Redbridge on family court provision prior to the transfer of the family court to Stratford.

Bridget Prentice: There was full public consultation in 2006 on proposals to form a network of family courts in London. This consultation made specific reference to the transfer of Redbridge and Waltham Forest Family Proceedings Court work to Stratford. During the consultation period, my right hon. and Learned Friend the Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman) and officials met with the local MP and representative JPs from Waltham Forest to discuss the proposals. The formal response to consultation was published in December 2006. Her Majesty's Courts Service are fully involving Waltham Forest magistrates as plans are implemented, through ongoing dialogue. Redbridge family hearings transferred to Stratford in August 2008.

Fines: Surcharges

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was collected in victim surcharges in each Court Service area in February and March 2009.

Maria Eagle: The Victims Surcharge is a £15 charge imposed on offenders ordered to pay fines by magistrates or Crown courts in England and Wales in connection with offences committed on or after 1 April 2007.
	Victim surcharges collected by each Court Service area for February and March 2009 were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Area  February 2009  March 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 16,417 19,102 
			 Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 44,159 50,787 
			 Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire 38,442 42,875 
			 Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 29,937 33,324 
			 Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 30,539 36,336 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 32,916 38,548 
			 Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 36,846 40,680 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 33,602 41,791 
			 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 27,546 38,483 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15,619 18,481 
			 Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 20,041 23,322 
			 Greater Manchester 34,866 42,513 
			 Hampshire and the Isle of Wight 19,844 22,038 
			 Humber and South Yorkshire 21,638 44,344 
			 Kent 15,937 18,685 
			 Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 23,991 24,807 
			 London 85,197 104,091 
			 Mid and West Wales 4,413 5,872 
			 North and West Yorkshire 32,773 37,569 
			 North Wales 8,362 12,290 
			 South East Wales 25,458 28,571 
			 Surrey and Sussex 19,523 26,153 
			 Thames Valley 19,697 25,983 
			 Total 637,763 776,645

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The MOJ does not compile health and safety spend across its agencies and other bodies centrally and could do so only at disproportionate cost. However, spend for the Department HQ on health and safety measures is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 65,000 
			 2005-06 54,300 
			 2006-07 106,700 
			 2007-08 123,100 
			 2008-09 122,800 
		
	
	The MOJ Corporate Health and Safety Branch provide a professional health and safety advisory and technical service, including assistance and information to all levels of management to enable compliance with relevant Health and Safety legislation. This includes auditing of health and safety management systems and reviewing performance across the MOJ.
	The MOJ annual report provides an assurance on health and safety performance on how the MOJ plan to discharge its legal responsibility in order to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated relevant statutory provisions.

National Offender Management Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the Managing the Surplus Employee Scheme in the National Offender Management Service in financial year 2009-10;
	(2)  what support his Department provides for employees of the National Offender Management Service redeployed under the terms of the Managing Surplus Employees Scheme;
	(3)  how many surplus employees as defined under the Managing Surplus Employees Scheme of the National Offender Management Service  (a) have been redeployed,  (b) have been made redundant and  (c) have left the Service for another reason in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: As a result of changes being made within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) staff are being redeployed either within the agency or to roles elsewhere within the Ministry of Justice.
	The additional costs for managing the Surplus Employee System within NOMS in the financial year 2009-10 is estimated to be in the region of £55,000. Costs are relatively small, because the service is able to use new technology to manage these process.
	Staff who are made surplus are subject to redeployment procedures but remain the responsibility of an identified line manager who is required to maintain support, identify any temporary work and assist the employee to find a new role. A range of support arrangements is currently being implemented, including retraining where this is appropriate. Staff who need to relocate to find a new post are able to apply for assistance with additional travel or relocation under existing NOMS arrangements for staff transfer.
	Information on the outcome of the redeployment arrangements are as yet unavailable until the new IT is fully functional at the end of May. It is NOMS policy to avoid redundancies and to date no member of staff has been made redundant as a result of the redeployment arrangements.

National Offender Management Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many National Offender Management Service employees are registered as surplus under the terms of the Managing Surplus Employees Scheme.

David Hanson: We have currently got 184 employees registered as surplus under the terms of the Managing Surplus Employees Scheme.
	Staff are supported while on this list to assist them in finding a new posting. No staff are being made compulsorily redundant as a direct result of this scheme.

National Offender Management Service: Recruitment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the merits of ensuring that persons with a Probation Service employment background can apply for arising vacancies within the Interventions and Substance Misuse Group of the National Offender Management Service.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service fully recognises the benefits of utilising the specialist skills of probation staff in appropriate posts. Where there is a business need for a particular post to be filled by someone with a probation service employment background, groups may second or advertise externally in accordance with National Offender Management Service and civil service recruitment policy.

National Offender Management Service: Secondment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to extend the two year term of Probation Service secondees in the National Offender Management Service.

David Hanson: All secondments into the civil service are limited to a two year term in line with the civil service commission's recruitment principles. Extension of this period can exceptionally be sought from the civil service commissioners if required.

Offences Against Children

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders aged 21 years or over convicted of offences related to sexual activity with a child under 13 received  (a) immediate custody,  (b) a suspended sentence,  (c) a community sentence,  (d) a fine,  (e) a conditional or absolute discharge and  (f) other treatment in the last year for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: The available figures are shown in the following table. The proportion of those given various disposals is shown as a percentage of those sentenced. Lags in time between conviction and sentencing may mean that the total numbers convicted and sentenced in a year may not match. Data held by the Ministry of Justice record the age of the offender at the time of sentencing, the figures show all offenders aged over 21 and over at that point.
	
		
			  Percentage( 1)  of offenders sentenced to disposals for sexual activity with a child under 13, 2003-07 
			   Percentage discharged  Percentage fined  Percentage given community sentence  Percentage given suspended sentence  Percentage given immediate custody  Percentage otherwise dealt with  Total persons sentenced 
			  2007
			 Familial sexual offences with a child under 13 0.0 0.0 8.0 16.0 76.0 0.0 25 
			 Rape or attempted rape of a child under 13 0.0 0.0 5.8 2.9 91.3 0.0 69 
			 Sexual activity with a child under 13 0.0 0.0 23.3 9.3 65.1 2.3 129 
			 Sexual assault of a female child under 13 1.7 0.0 14.5 9.8 73.6 0.4 235 
			 Sexual assault of a male child under 13 0.0 0.0 15.0 7.5 77.5 0.0 40 
			 All above 0.8 0.0 15.3 8.8 74.3 0.8 498 
			 (1) Due to rounding rows may not sum to exactly 100 per cent.  Notes: 1. These data are based on the principle offence. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Complaints

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints the Prison Service Internal Complaints Process received from prisoners in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The number of internal complaints submitted by prisoners between the fiscal years 2000-01 and 2007-08 is shown in the table. Data for prisoner complaints was not centrally recorded before the fiscal year 2000-01 and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   Total number of complaints  Average prison population 
			 2000-01 33,529 64,680 
			 2001-02 36,752 67,633 
			 2002-03 70,053 71,498 
			 2003-04 120,701 73,658 
			 2004-05 132,083 74,808 
			 2005-06 159,467 76,564 
			 2006-07 186,028 78,880 
			 2007-08 192,431 80,676 
		
	
	A revised complaints procedure was introduced in February 2002, which, among other improvements, gave prisoners greater access to complaint forms.
	An effective complaints system underpins much of prison life. An efficient system for dealing with prisoners' requests and complaints aims to given prisoners confidence in the integrity of the system and so helps to ensure that the Prison Service meets its obligation of dealing fairly, openly and humanely with prisoners.

Census: Databases

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements have been made for the  (a) retention and  (b) maintenance of the address database compiled for the 2011 Census once the Census has been completed.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what arrangements have been made for the (a) retention and (b) maintenance of the address database compiled for the 2011 Census once the Census has been completed. (274197)
	Although the Address Register strategy takes account of other national addressing initiatives it is only being developed for the 2011 Census. Subject to having appropriate data sharing agreements in place, it should provide a one-off quality improvement to each of the main address sources. The database developed for the Census will be retained by the Office for National Statistics. No plans are in place at present for the maintenance of the database.
	Addresses returned on census forms as verified addresses are addresses that belong to the ONS to use for statistical purposes only, and will be kept by ONS.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) its agency paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The amount of interest paid to suppliers in 2006-07 and 2007-08 for late payment can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resources Accounts 2006-07 and 2007-08, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. No interest has been paid to suppliers for late payment in 2008-09. The Cabinet Office does not have any agencies.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what expenditure on  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation and  (c) food (i) he and (ii) officials in his Department incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Si�n Simon: The following expenditure has been incurred by DIUS in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 by (i) the Secretary of State, (ii) Lord Drayson and (iii) officials. Costs for car hire, which officials will also in part have utilised, is placed under the relevant Minister.
	 (a) (i) 642.30
	(ii) 502.43
	(iii) 497.50
	  (b) (i) Zero
	(ii) Zero
	(iii) 66.00
	 (c) (i) Zero
	(ii) Zero
	(iii) Zero

Departmental Assets

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assets his Department shares with the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has a separate asset register from the Department for Children, Schools and Families' (DCSF). No assets are shared. However, DCSF provides DIUS with a wide range of corporate shared services. These include elements of information technology infrastructure and the provision of office space, building services and furniture at three DCSF sites: Moorfoot in Sheffield, Castle View House in Runcorn and Mowden Hall in Darlington.

Departmental Buildings

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on building maintenance in each year since its creation; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department's building services are provided through the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), which manage and maintain the buildings that DIUS occupies.
	BERR charges DIUS for maintenance costs at Kingsgate House, London. These charges are as follows:
	
		
			
			 June 2007-December 2007 0 
			 January 2008-March 2008 27,089 
			 April 2008-March 2009 82,810 
		
	
	Maintenance costs cannot be separately identified in the amount that DIUS has paid to DCSF for office space and building services.
	The Department has a contract for an integrated facilities management service for the buildings in Teddington occupied by the National Physical Laboratory and the National Measurement Office (formerly the National Weights and Measures Laboratory).
	The cost of maintenance is not paid separately but the amount of the facilities management payment which relates to maintenance equated to approximately:
	
		
			
			 July 2007 to March 2008 1,125,000 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 1,550,000 
		
	
	The cost of facilities management on the site (including maintenance) was recovered from the occupiers of the buildings: NPL Management Ltd. and the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (an Executive agency of DIUS).

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Operating Costs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the cost to the public purse of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been in each year since its establishment.

Maria Eagle: The costs of the Equality and Human Rights Commission are shown in the Annex A, Core Tables of the Government Equalities Office's Annual Report and Accounts. More recent forecast outturn data are now available and are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			  Financial year  Resource  Capital 
			 2007-08 52,915 6,707 
			 2008-09 59,000 1,000

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Operating Costs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the cost to the public purse of  (a) the Commission for Racial Equality,  (b) the Equal Opportunities Commission and  (c) the Disability Rights Commission was in each of the three years up to October 2007.

Maria Eagle: Outturn for the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) for the three years up to October 2007 is published in Annex A: Core Tables of the Government Equalities Office's Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08.
	Final figures for CRE, EOC and DRC are now available for the period 1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 and are as follows:
	
		
			  1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 
			  000 
			  Commissions  Resource  Capital 
			 Disability Rights Commission 10,575 -61 
			 Commission for Racial Equality 9,847 0 
			 Equal Opportunities Commission 3,945 -282

Equality Bill

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment has been made of the effect of implementation of the provisions of the Equality Bill on the expenditure of local authorities.

Maria Eagle: The Equality Bill will strengthen and streamline discrimination law. These measures will result in both costs (such as those arising from organisations familiarising themselves with the new legislation) and savings (such as those resulting from the simplification of the legislation).
	The impact of the Equality Bill is set out in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Bill on 27 April. The impact on the expenditure of local authorities has not been identified separately. For the 22,000 public authorities (which includes the 420 or so local authorities) the Impact Assessment identifies the following costs and benefits:
	Costs in the first year18.6 million to  52.1 million
	Benefits in the first year12.2 million to 41.4 million
	Recurring costs from year two onwards5.5 million to 39.0 million
	Recurring benefits from year two onwards12.6 million to 42.9 million

Big Lottery Fund: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to the Big Lottery Fund of empty property business rates on its empty properties recorded on the Government's e-PIMS database was in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: The Big Lottery Fund have advised that they did not pay empty property business rates on empty properties during 2008-09.

BMRB Social Research

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has paid BMRB Social Research in respect of its work in the Taking Part Survey in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 12 May 2009
	 The Taking Part survey collects data about people's engagement and non-engagement in culture, leisure and sport, and is a National Statistic.
	Taking Part was commissioned in 2005 and is jointly funded (approximately 50:50) by DCMS and four partner bodiesArts Council England, English Heritage, Sport England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. BMRB Social Research is contracted to conduct the survey fieldwork. Between 2006-07 and 2008-09, DCMS contributed the following levels towards the cost of BMRB Social Research's work:
	
		
			million 
			 2006-07 1.3 
			 2007-08 1.4 
			 2008-09 1.2 
		
	
	In addition to supporting core running costs of the survey, these figures include other expenses such as additional analysis, piloting and questionnaire reviews.

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For each of the items above, in most circumstances the team that handled the original issue will review the complaint.
	Many communications into the Department, including complaints, are managed by the Department's Public Engagement and Recognition Unit. If a complaint is serious in nature the request will be drawn to the attention of a relevant senior civil servant, up to and including the permanent secretary.
	There are also formal procedures in place within the Department for issues such as the internal review of Freedom of Information requests and the Public Appointments process, besides the usual array of external complaints and review procedures available via the courts and the parliamentary ombudsman.
	Further details on complaints processes can be found on the DCMS website at:
	www.culture.gov.uk

Departmental Consultants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contracts were awarded by his Department to  (a) KPMG,  (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers,  (c) Ernst and Young,  (d) McKinsey,  (e) Deloitte and  (f) other consultancy firms in each of the last 12 months; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) monetary value of the contract was in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Consultancy contracts awarded by the Department (excluding NDPB's that we sponsor) in the last 12 months are as follows:
	 (a) KPMG
	Nil
	 (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers
	(i) To provide advice on Olympic Park Sponsorship Strategy; (ii) 9,900;
	(i) To provide advice on the wind Up of Regional Cultural Consortiums; (ii) 55,000;
	(i) To provide commercial, economic and financial analysis in respect of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; (ii) the Department has let this contract under a framework agreement. The Department has incurred 17,478 under this contract for work undertaken to date.
	 (c) Ernst and Young
	(i) To perform due diligence on Sale of Tote; (ii) 825,000.
	 (d) McKinsey
	Nil
	 (e) Deloitte
	(i) To perform an IT Security Review; (ii) 65,525.
	 (f) Other consultancy firms
	 Sports Recruitment International
	(i) Recruitment of specialist sports roles for Government Olympic Executive; (ii) 51,783.
	 PA Consulting
	(i) To provide consultancy on the DCMS Change Programme; (ii) 78,166.
	 Mouchel
	(i) Review of new HR Oracle system; (ii) 3,795.
	 Mills and Reeve
	(i) Legal advice on valuation for temporary use of land in King's Cross by Union Railways; (ii) 10,010.
	 Halliwells
	(i) To provide commercial, economic and financial analysis in respect of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; (ii) the Department has let this contract under a framework agreement. The Department has incurred 25,938 under this contract for work undertaken to date.
	 Saxton Bampfylde Hever
	(i) Recruitment of new Chair for English Heritage; (ii) 20,700.
	 Food Service Associates (Henley) Ltd.
	(i) Specialist consultancy on re-tender of DCMS catering contract; (ii) 1,495.
	 Norton Rose
	(i) Legal services for advice on Digital Britain project; (ii) 65,000.
	 Group Partners
	(i) Consultancy advice on 2012 delivery strategy; (ii) 25,000.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department has lost the following since 2005.
	
		
			   BlackBerry lost  Mobile phone lost 
			 2005 0 0 
			 2006 1 0 
			 2007 4 4 
			 2008 0 2 
			 2009 0 1 
		
	
	None has been lost by a Minister, one BlackBerry was lost by a special adviser and the remaining 11 have been lost by civil servants.

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution his Department has made to the cross-Government consultation, Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Children and to the development of Government policy in this area.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DCMS officials worked closely with the Home Office officials responsible for drafting the consultation document Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Children. DCMS officials will continue to support the development of policy in this area, in particular by participating as members of Sexualisation Review Steering Group, which will be established later this month.

Gambling

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will request that the Gambling Commission publish its  (a) assessment of the regulatory risks relevant to each sector of the gambling industry and  (b) methodology for (i) analysis of regulatory risk and (ii) prioritising its allocation of resources to gambling activities in relation to the level of regulatory risk posed by each such activity.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission has advised that details of its approach to risk have already been published. The Gambling Commission is currently consulting on revisions of its Statement of Principles and its Licensing, Compliance and Enforcement policy statement. Details of the approach to risk and the consultation are available at:
	www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Gambling

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  which of the recommendations of the Hampton Implementation Review of the Gambling Commission he plans to accept; and what steps he plans to take to implement those recommendations;
	(2)  what discussions has he had with the Gambling Commission on the implementation of recommendations of the Hampton Implementation Review of the Commission.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission has welcomed the final report and accepted its recommendations. My Department will work with the Gambling Commission on these recommendations, where appropriate, and will monitor its progress as part of the usual process of NDPB sponsorship.

Sports: Equality

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many sporting organisations have applied for recognition under the Equality Standard for Sport since November 2004.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has supported 26 English national governing bodies, all 49 of the county sports partnerships and five national sport organisations including itself to achieve a level of the Equality Standard since 2004.

Sports: Young People

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase access to sport for young people in  (a) Warrington and  (b) the North West; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 6 May 2009
	 The PE and School Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) has seen 90 per cent. of children and young people do at least two hours of sport a week. By 2011 it is the aim to offer five hours of PE and sport for five to 16-year-olds and three hours for those 16-19.
	One of the strategy's workstrands, Sport Unlimited, aims to increase the variety of sporting opportunities for 900,000 semi sporty young people. It is delivered through the network of County Sports Partnerships and aims to reach 124,350 young people in the North West, including Warrington, by 2011.
	In addition Sport England has a target of getting one million people doing more sport by 2012-13, which includes those aged 16-25.
	National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are placed at the heart of Sport England's strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers that will drive delivery. The NGBs will define what they need for their sport at a national, regional and sub-regional level to ensure more people play and enjoy their sport. NGBs are currently planning and taking decisions on where best to invest their money, and this includes the North West.
	In addition to investing in NGBs and other key partners, Sport England has other open funding programmes, worth a maximum of 45 million, to which a wide range of organisations from across England are able to apply. Some of this investment will address particular areas of need; for example the first of a series of themed funding rounds is targeted at rural communities.

Tourism

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to meet boards of regional development agencies to discuss his Department's joint working with Visit England.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 27 April 2009
	On 29 April 2009 I chaired the inaugural meeting of the Regional Development Agency Tourism Leads Group and discussed regional tourism strategies and economic conditions; sub-regional engagement; skills development; sustainable tourism; and cross-regional policy and resource co-ordination, as well as the role of VisitEngland in co-ordinating and driving progress on tourism development and promotion with them.

Tourism: Standards

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will assess the  (a) case for and  (b) merits of a standardised national classification system for tourist accommodation providers.

Barbara Follett: VisitEngland have advised that research in the enjoy England Brand Tracking Study 2007 showed that over three quarters of consumers (77 per cent.) believe Quality schemes are important when choosing accommodation. The established visitor accommodation grading schemes (the star rating schemes) are therefore central to improving the quality of England's tourism product.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport supported work by the cross-Britain Quality Review Group, which included VisitBritain , the Automobile Association, and the devolved national tourist boards, VisitScotland and VisitWales. This review group agreed to adopt uniform common inspection standards across Great Britain in May 2005.
	Implementation of this work began in January 2006 and was completed in 2008. A range of tourist accommodation is assessed and marketed under the National Quality Accreditation Schemes (NQAS). Since April 2009 VisitEngland have been responsible for this work.

Banks: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Department's press notice of 19 January 2009, on the asset protection scheme, 
	(1)  what progress has been made on selecting eligible securities; and what amount of guarantees has been issued;
	(2)  what criteria will be used to determine what proportion of the value of the security will be guaranteed.

Ian Pearson: As announced on 26 February, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) agreed in principle to protect 325 billion of assets in the Asset Protection Scheme; and on 7 March Lloyds Banking Group (Lloyds) agreed in principle to protect 260 billion of assets in the scheme. After the deduction of the first loss (42.2 billion and 35.2 billion respectively) that falls to the participating banks, the Treasury will guarantee 90 per cent. of the remaining value (at 31 December 2008) of the covered assets.
	The Treasury and its advisers are continuing to work with participating banks to conduct due diligence on the assets intended for inclusion in the scheme.
	Further detailed information will be provided after the final contracts are signed.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) energy consumed by,  (b) energy cost of and  (c) carbon dioxide emissions from each category of IT device in each division of his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to address the effect on levels of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department of its ICT purchases since the publication of the Greening Government ICT Strategy; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the average server capacity utilisation by each division of his Department was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many  (a) printers and  (b) multi-function devices with printing functions were in use in each division of his Department in each of the last five years; how many such devices had a function enabling two-sided printing; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many and what proportion of IT products in each category procured for each division of his Department were compliant with the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury is committed to reducing emissions arising from operations and aims to deliver year-on-year reductions. Its Chief Information Officer (CIO), in line with all other members of the CIO Council, has produced a CIO Green ICT Roadmap which the Treasury will be following to deliver against the 18 target improvement areas outlined in the Greening Government ICT strategy in July 2008.
	A full report of the CIO Council Green ICT Roadmaps will be made available shortly featuring the action plans of all Departments involved in the Council against the 18 steps. A final one year on Report will be issued by the Cabinet Office in July. The CIO/CTO Council Green ICT Delivery Unit will refresh its annual CIO key objectives against the latest developments in technology and advances in carbon measurement which will be circulated for comment to all CIOs and relevant Departments this summer.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on the purchase of  (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and  (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what proportion of office supplies purchased by his Department were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury is fully committed to making procurement sustainable and has a policy of using the Sustainable Procurement Quick Wins wherever possible. However:
	 (a) It is not possible to identify how much the Treasury has spent on, or what proportion were, specifically recycled office supplies from other green products.
	 (b) The Treasury pays for a fully managed printer service, which includes the provision of printer ink cartridges. It is not possible to separate the amount spent on ink cartridges from the total cost of the managed service.

Gaming

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was generated from remote gaming duty in 2008-09.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs are not currently able to publish a breakdown of remote gaming duty while maintaining taxpayer confidentiality.

Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to publish his Department's factual paper on the operation of the Barnett Formula.

Yvette Cooper: No date has yet been decided for the publication of the factual paper on the Barnett formula.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Janet Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to rectify the system fault which has affected its on-line tax return system; for how long he expects the system to be unavailable; what estimate he has made of the number of applications for tax rebates which will take longer to process as a result of the fault; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 12 May 2009
	In April 2009 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) identified an accounting issue which affected some customers who had submitted 2008-09 Self Assessment Tax Returns (paper as well as online). As a consequence, from 20 April to 2 May 2009 HMRC suspended processing all Tax Returns onto their back-end systems to ensure customers did not receive incorrect calculations and statements. The issue was rectified on 1 May 2009 and HMRC resumed processing on 2 May 2009. Any resulting repayments have been made in accordance with normal processes.
	During this period customers were still able to file their online and paper Tax Returns. Between 20 April 2009 and 2 May 2009 the Self Assessment Online Service was fully available apart for a period of 10 hours of planned downtime on 29 April 2009.

Overseas Aid

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent audit he has made of the value for money being achieved by his Department's expenditure on overseas aid.

Michael Foster: The Government are committed to maximising the impact of UK aid. DFID assesses the value for money of its projects and programmes each quarter and aims to improve value for money of its projects by 66 million over the CSR period.
	DFID has a rigorous system of evaluation and makes full use of value for money audits carried out by National Audit Office.

Development Aid

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development Whether he takes into account the level of military spending by a country in assessing its eligibility for development aid from his Department.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) policy is to give funding only to those Governments who share our commitment to (i) poverty reduction and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), (ii) human rights and other international obligations and (iii) improving public financial management and accountability. Our assessment of each Government's commitment is country-specific and covers a wide range of issues. Where relevant, the level of military spending may be one factor. In countries where we decide not to provide funding to the Government, we may provide aid through other channels such as multilateral donors or non-governmental organisations.

St. Helena Airport

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the effect on his Department's aid budget in the long term of the construction of an airport on St. Helena.

Michael Foster: The 2005 Atkins Feasibility Study concluded that without an airport, St. Helena will remain dependent on UK budgetary aid indefinitely. The study predicted that with the introduction of air access and development of the island's tourism industry, the need for financial support would reduce progressively with the increasing potential for St. Helena to become self sufficient in the long term.

Good Governance

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of his Department's budget for 2009-10 is planned to be spent on promoting good governance in the developing world.

Ivan Lewis: Support for good governance is central to the work of the Department for International Development (DFID). 22 per cent. of DFID's total spend in 2007-08, including that provided through multilateral partners such as the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme, was aimed at improving governance in developing countries. This included developing the capacity and accountability of institutions, such as parliaments and bureaucracies, to function and deliver effectively, as well as supporting civil society to hold governments to account and voice its concerns. We estimate that 23 per cent. of total spend in 2008-09 was similarly aimed and we expect this trend to continue.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on furniture in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: It is not possible to provide expenditure figures for furniture without incurring disproportionate cost. All furniture expenditure is incurred in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: It is not possible to provide expenditure figures for hospitality and entertainment without incurring disproportionate cost. All such costs are made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Yemen: Asylum

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian aid his Department is providing to Somali and Ethiopian refugees in Yemen.

Michael Foster: The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is the lead agency in Yemen for supporting Somali and Ethiopian refugees. UNHCR reports that 2008 saw a significant rise in the annual number of refugees arriving in Yemen: up by 70 per cent. to 50,091 during the year. DFID provides core funding of 19 million per year to UNHCR to assist refugees and internally displaced people. Some of that funding will have an impact on UNHCR's activities in Yemen to support Somali and Ethiopian refugees, as well as vulnerable Yemeni IDPs.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff work in the System Information and Assurance Group in his Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department's Information Security Committee (a sub-committee of the Department's Executive Team) is responsible for information security issues across the Department. Operational responsibility for security is assigned to respective chief executives and heads of businesses within the Department. Other senior staff in the Department's agencies have specific responsibilities for promoting data and IT system security and report to their respective chief executives. The Department do not have a System Information and Assurance Group.
	Following the publication of the Cabinet Office's Review of Data Handling Procedures in Government, specific senior civil servants across the Department have been designated as Information Asset Owners who provide assurance to the Department's Senior Information Risk Owner that data assets are properly protected.
	The Department also deploys a range of internal and external professional security resources and suppliers to both deliver and assure its IT Infrastructure and systems.
	The Department do not publish details of the resources used to provide assurance over IT system security, staff or otherwise, as this could potentially threaten the security of information.

Jobcentre Plus: Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) salaries,  (b) pension benefits and  (c) bonuses have been received by each member of the Jobcentre Plus Board of Management in each year since 2002.

Tony McNulty: The available information can be obtained from the Jobcentre Plus annual report and accounts for each year, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

Rover Group: Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet a delegation of ex-Rover employees to discuss the Rover Pension Scheme.

Rosie Winterton: I met the hon. Member in March to discuss the position of a number of individuals, which included members of the Rover Pension Schemes, who took early retirement before the relevant scheme entered the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).
	PPF compensation payable to scheme members who are under the scheme's normal pension age when the sponsoring employer becomes insolvent is subject to the compensation cap. The compensation cap affects compensation payable to active and deferred members and those who take early retirement and remain under normal pension age at the point of insolvency unless that early retirement was on the grounds of ill-health.
	The cap ensures consistent treatment, based on age, relative to the trigger point for entry to the PPF. It also ensures that people who are able to take early retirement before the insolvency event are not placed in a more beneficial position than people who stay in employment.
	A person who takes early retirement before the PPF becomes involved with the scheme is not treated any less favourably than a person under Normal Pension Age who did not take early retirement. Both are eligible for the 90 per cent. level of compensation and both are subject to the compensation cap. While both will have the cap actuarially reduced if they draw compensation before age 65 the person who took early retirement before the PPF became involved could have had a number of years where they were in receipt of their pension at full rate and the PPF does not recover those amounts.
	After careful consideration the Government has decided not to make any changes. We realise that this decision will be a disappointment for some people. Any change could impose extra costs and we need to bear in mind not only those people who receive PPF compensation but also those people who pay the PPF levy to enable that compensation to be paid.

Social Security Benefits: Eligibility

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects of payments received by individuals as the result of successful claims on  (a) income protection insurance policies,  (b) standalone payment protection insurance policies and  (c) accident, sickness or unemployment policies on the entitlement of those individuals to a means-tested state benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Monies received from income protection, standalone payment protection and accident, sickness or unemployment policies are taken into account when calculating entitlement to the working age means tested benefits. In certain circumstances payments intended to cover housing costs, credit or hire-purchase agreements may be disregarded.
	State Pension Credit, which is for a different type of client group, allows these types of payments to be disregarded.

Education: Expenditure

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of gross domestic product the Government has spent on education in each of the last 15 years.

Jim Knight: Details of expenditure as a proportion of GDP for the financial year 2008/09 are not yet available. Figures for the financial years 1993/94 to 2007/08, as published in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage of GDP 
			 1993/94 5.1 
			 1994/95 5.0 
			 1995/96 4.9 
			 1996/97 4.7 
			 1997/98 4.5 
			 1998/99 4.4 
			 1999/2000 4.4 
			 2000/01 4.6 
			 2001/02 4.9 
			 2002/03 4.9 
			 2003/04 5.2 
			 2004/05 5.3 
			 2005/06 5.4 
			 2006/07 5.3 
			 2007/08 5.4 
		
	
	Figures taken from the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008, published 21 April 2008.

GCE A-level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were entered for A-level examinations  (a) including equivalents and  (b) excluding equivalents in each (i) local authority, (ii) constituency and (iii) area classified by decile of deprivation in the last year for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information will be placed in the House Libraries. Further information by local authority and IDACI decile is published by the Department in table 9 and 13 of the Statistical First Release 'GCEA/CE/Applied A/AS and Equivalent Results in England, 2007/08 (Revised)':
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000827/index.shtml

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department provides to schools on dealing with racist bullying.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Schools have a duty to promote race equality and it is compulsory for schools to have measures in place to prevent and tackle bullying, whatever the motivation. In March 2006 we published specialist guidance on Bullying around Race, Religion and Culture which focused on preventing and tackling racist bullying in schools. We are funding the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the National Strategies to ensure this work is embedded in schools.

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's steps to tackle racist bullying in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We have introduced an indicator on bullying which underpins the Child Safety Public Service Agreement (PSA 13, NI69), and made clear that we expect the proportion of children and young people who experience bullying to go down over the Spending Review period. We have made clear that we will monitor progress on this indicator using the annual TellUs survey. The Department has also set up a board to monitor progress against the PSA. The Board will look at a range of evidence and data to ensure that we are making satisfactory progress against this indicator including evidence in respect of bullying related to race. We will seek to ensure that the level of racist bullying goes down in line with any general reduction.
	We are funding the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) and National Strategies to help drive improvements in anti-bullying practice on the ground. Both organisations are working with local authorities and schools to ensure the Department's 'Safe to Learn' guidance, including the guidance on 'Bullying Related to Race Religion and Culture', is effectively implemented on the ground.

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the availability of professional development opportunities for teachers in relation to prevention of racist bullying.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's anti-bullying guidance recommends that schools review general and specific staff induction and continuing professional development and identify how to ensure staff training reflects the anti-bullying policy and practice of the school. Funding for teachers' professional development is included within schools' delegated budgets which enables them to take decisions about what professional development best meets their and their teachers' needs.
	The National Strategies work closely with behaviour and attendance consultants in local authorities to identify staff training needs. They look at whether this should include staff training in tackling racist bullying, as part of their work.

Schools: Ceramics

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will meet representatives of the British Ceramics Confederation to discuss the contribution of ceramic table and catering ware to the Healthy Schools Programme.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I shall ask my officials from the National Healthy Schools Programme to arrange a meeting with members of the British Ceramics Confederation to explore this proposal in more detail.

Schools: Crosby

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department provided for schools in Crosby constituency in the last five years; and what building projects relating to schools have been undertaken in Crosby constituency in each of those years.

Jim Knight: Capital funding for schools is allocated on a local authority rather than on a constituency basis. Accordingly, records are kept on a local authority basis. Funding allocated to Sefton local authority in the past five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 12.1 
			 2005-06 13.3 
			 2006-07 17.0 
			 2007-08 12.6 
			 2008-09 13.3 
		
	
	Sefton was also allocated 23.7 million in 2007-08 to rebuild one of its secondary schools, through the BSF one-school pathfinder programme.
	The Department does not keep records of individual projects, as local authorities decide priorities in their commissioning role.

Schools: Knives

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent the carrying of knives by pupils in schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Although the illegal use of knives on school premises is not widespread, in May 2007 we introduced a power for head teachers in England to search, without consent, any pupil they suspected of carrying a weapon, the purpose being to help reduce the number of knives carried on the streets. Schools also have the powers to screen pupils at random using electronic screens or arches. Most recently, we have been encouraging schools to engage with local police in Safer School Partnerships in order to arrange the screening of pupils in more troubled locations.

Schools: Leyton

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been provided for schools in Leyton and Wanstead constituency in the last five years; and what building projects relating to schools have been undertaken in that constituency in each of those years.

Jim Knight: Allocations are made and records maintained on a local authority basis. Those made to Redbridge and Waltham Forest in the last five years are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2007-08  2008-09  Total 
			 Redbridge 16.8 20.9 17.2 17.8 15.5 88.2 
			 Waltham Forest 10.3 10.8 7.0 7.2 18.9 54.2 
			 Total 27.1 31.7 24.2 25.0 34.4 142.4 
		
	
	Waltham Forest is also benefiting from Building Schools for the Future (BSF) investment. It is currently estimated that this investment will total around 250 million. In addition, Redbridge was allocated a BSF One School Pathfinder project in 2007-08, to a value of 40 million.
	As it is local authorities' responsibility to plan and commission building work, the Department does not maintain records centrally of individual projects relating to schools.

Schools: Security

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  on how many occasions schools have exercised the power to screen randomly pupils using metal detectors in arches or hand-held wands since October 2006; and how many weapons have been recovered as a result of such searches;
	(2)  how many searches without consent have been conducted by schools of pupils suspected of carrying a weapon since May 2007; and how many weapons have been recovered as a result of such searches.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect figures on searching. Our inquiries over time suggest that few head teachers are utilising the power to search any pupil they suspect of carrying a weapon but the power is available should they decide such action is appropriate for their school. We have encouraged schools, through Directors of Children's Services, to liaise with the police in Safer School Partnerships over random screening but we believe such screenings remain low in number, although figures are not collected.

Science: GCSE

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if his Department will bring forward proposals to make GCSE science courses more interesting and challenging for pupils.

Jim Knight: A new programme of study for science at Key Stage 4 was introduced into schools for first teaching from September 2006. The new curriculum maintains the breadth, depth and challenge of the previous curriculum, but has a better balance between knowledge and understanding. Pupils now learn more about the applications and implications of science (for example, global warming and genetic screening).
	GCSE specifications were also revised from September 2006 to reflect the new programme of study. QCA are currently reviewing the GCSE science criteria again with a view to revised specifications being taught from September 2011: these changes will ensure that the content remains up to date and engaging, and will address concerns about the level of challenge in some assessments identified in the recent Ofqual review of the 2006 specifications. Awarding bodies have also made changes to this summer's assessments in response to the Ofqual report.

Truancy: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the truancy rate for  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in the London Borough of Havering was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information is collected on authorised and unauthorised absence.
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy. Information collected by my Department on absence is a more comprehensive measure of children's missed schooling. Our focus is on reducing all forms of absence, not just a small subset. The issue is not whether the pupil had permission to be absent; it is how much absence the pupil has.
	Information on absence for Havering local authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary and secondary schools( 1,2)  absence rate( 3,4)  2007/08Havering local authority 
			   2007/08 
			   Primary( 1)  Secondary( 1,2) 
			 Authorised absence rate 4.86 6.23 
			 Unauthorised absence rate 0.47 1.07 
			 Overall absence rate 5.33 7.30 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes pupils age five to 15 who were on roll for at least one session from the start of the school year up until 23 May 2008, excluding boarders. (4) The total number of half day sessions lost to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence, as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census